Sunday, 10 February 2013

Layers of Truth

Ramij observed a benevolent lady everyday in a burka, completely covered, and going to a school of visually challenged children, helping the kids learn writing & reading and in recess feeding birds, showering love on children, caressing their back, sometimes leaning forward to kiss their cheek with her hidden lips, when a child tried to remove that veil before she kissed, she turned away, reluctant to show her face. He saw her reflecting but she seldom talked to anybody. She hid herself in isolation. He just couldn't make out why is she running away from the world? Why is she bound to hide herself? What is it that prevents her from showing her identity? He didn't know how she looks or what goes on in her head? He wanted to unravel the veils physical as well as mental layers. He grew curious & in love with the lady's virtues, seeing her daily. He mustered up courage one day & went to the lady & said, "I'm closely observing you on daily basis for some couple of months and I don't know whether you're ugly or pretty, but your enigmatic personality concerns me... I desperately wish to know your plight, listen your voice, see your face, what is it behind this burka that you are so keen to hide?"

She retorted furiously,"and then you'd unclad to satisfy your lust, that's what everyone did, I was a whore and this much is enough to introduce myself & you can leave my way, with contempt towards me." He was taken aback by this disclosure. His face went pale all of a sudden unnerved, benumbed... He looked at her aghast! She ignored him & walked away. He stood there for hours & the 'waves' of 'thoughts' disturbed his mind's 'shore' for hours & hours. He now had more questions - she seemed a philanthropic person, how can she be a whore? Numerous possible reasons arose as conjecture but his ears were tempted to listen her painful voice again. He wanted to heal her soul who served others.

Next day he again saw her & his heart skipped a beat! In his heart, echoed the words she said the previous day. She saw him but ignored as if 'yesterday' was an unreal day, it was more like a dream to her. He again came in her way, "your thoughts troubled me whole night, and I just couldn't sleep, please tell me more about you",he pleaded. He looked worried to her, so she affirmed,"Okay today evening, come at this place, I'll tell you" giving him a piece of paper." He replied, "see you" with a small but hopeful smile.

In the evening, he reached at that place, it was a small house, located in a shabby street. He knocked door. She opened, and she was still wearing that burka, he realized perhaps to hide herself. She asked him to sit on the chair and she also sat, she offered him a cup of tea. Then she said, "I know you are eager to listen about my life, I can read your eyes brimmed with curiosity, restlessness & frowning look, I begin my tale... I was born in the family of a poor farmer in a village, I'd nine siblings & I'm the eldest of them. Due to poverty, my father sold me to a man, when I was 14 year old and that man stripped me every night forcefully, had sexual intercourse and when I tried to run away he thrashed me, called two three other men too to add to my sufferings, threw me in a dark room after that, I tried to run away several times but failed. One day, since that man was drunk, he forgot to lock the door, and I finally got the chance to get free from his chains. I ran & ran & I didn't know where I was, yet I managed to reach my father's house somehow & that was the only place I could expect something, but my expectations shattered when my father threatened me to sold me again, he said that he couldn't afford the expenses of children so he sold off all the daughters & only 2 sons stayed with him. I turned back & wandered hither & thither for a couple of days, fainted in a deserted street.

A group of men passing by abducted me & took me to a whorehouse. Numerous men came there everyday & saw her naked, that was the power of money & I was penniless. I had no other option to continue life except that way. After six months, when I had completely lost all hopes, all faith, I was living like a dead body, for the lascivious men who visited us. Some more girls alike me were brought there. I didn't talk to any of those girls, I preferred to sit quietly in a corner, retrospected about my life. Gradually one girl grew compassionate towards me, she conversed with me. Years passed, we girls grew mature, completed out teenage in brothel, that girl suggested me to run away. One night, when it was heavily raining & thundering, we stealthily came out and ran on the road, then took refuge in a small hut as it was chilly outside. Then early morning, we again, left that hut & tried to go as far as we can from that area. We boarded a train without tickets and got off on a station after 4 hours. We weren't acquainted with the place, nor had we ever heard before the name of that station, which we instantly forgot & moved on. Then we met a lady who founded this blind school, she seemed middle aged, quite elder to us, we asked her for help, she took us to her home & provided us everything, and asked us our whereabouts, we both told her about our predicament and she said, we could work in her school & help the visually challenged children.

Thereafter I decided to hide my body forever from all the men of this world, and live a life of charity, in service of birds, animals, they all form nature. She had moist eyes by now. He raised from his chair & sat down in front of his chair. Looked at her, took her both hands in her hands & kissed them deeply with infinite affection and reverence. He said, "I fell in love with you when I saw you first time in burka, feeding birds gaily, now you have earned more respect, more love, and I can spend rest of my life seeing you in burka, I don't mind, I love you truly" she smiled behind that veil and he could only see her eyes smiling. She hugged him instantly with tearful eyes. He hugged back even tighter, with an unsaid promise of clinging to her forever.

This post is a part of <a title="Write Over the Weekend" href="http://blog.blogadda.com/category/write-over-the-weekend-wow" target="_blank">Write Over the Weekend</a>, an initiative for <a title="Reach out to the largest community of Indian Bloggers" href="http://www.blogadda.com/" target="_blank">Indian Bloggers</a> by BlogAdda